Life of the Party

This chapter is a compilation of excerpts from home movies taken at ‘charlghis’ or house-parties in the diaspora from the 1970s until the 2000s. These were either celebrations for weddings and bar mitzvahs or just parties to welcome friends to town.  The house parties with musical ensembles often lasted an entire night, with children sleeping over and guests coming and going until they ended with an Iraqi breakfast at dawn.  Traditional ‘charlghis’ in Iraq often engaged Muslims and Christian neighbors as well.  For this last generation of Jews who lived in Iraq, these seemingly ongoing parties were the only time and place where Iraqi-Jews could truly be themselves. The accompanying song, ‘Sawah’ by Abdel Halim Hafez,  meaning ‘journey’ or ‘vagabond’ is one of the more popular songs repeated at these parties and is loved throughout the Middle East. Many of these parties were bootlegged recorded by cassette tapes and copied and shared around the community.

'Sawah' lyrics:

A traveller, walking in the country...a traveller. The voyage between my lover and me is a long journey and along the way I am a stranger. The day is fading, night is approaching...if you see my lover salute him and I will be comforted.

A traveller...I am walking through the nights, a traveller...I am lost in a dream. A traveller... I am separated from you, darling, a traveller...What happened to me ?

For years I have suffered much yearning and need to know the route I take. If you see my love, salute him. Oh my darling, my darling, what has happened to you ? Where are you ? What are you doing ? Oh, I suffer such doubts...Leave me. I do not want to be even more confused about him. I know no comfort for I am a traveller lost.

For years I have suffered much yearning and need to know the route I take. If you see my love, salute him.

Oh moon, have you forsaken me ? Take me ashore to the absent one;  lighten my way, show me the road that lovers take. You who is my witness, talk to him about what has befallen me...

For years I have suffered much yearning and need to know the route I take. If you see my love, salute him.